Pete Crow-Armstrong is finally having that full breakout season we’ve all been teasing for years, hitting a wild .276/.375/.550 and crushing his second straight 30-30 season. He’s officially blown the lid off the National League MVP race, making it the real nail-biter right now, not some division fight or wild card scramble. This isn’t just a two-man show against the Dodgers’ two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani; it’s a ferocious battle for history.
Ohtani’s “Down Year” Paves the Way for a New Kind of MVP
It sounds absolutely ridiculous to say, but Shohei Ohtani is actually having a “down year.” Dude is aiming for his fourth consecutive MVP award, which would be his fifth overall! Still, his numbers are a mere .287/.388/.546 with a 158 OPS+ at the plate. He’s only pitched 85 ⅔ innings, though that 1.79 ERA is insane. Knee and bicep injuries have kept him off the mound, but he’s expected to return soon. Is that going to be enough for another MVP? Seriously, what even constitutes a “down year” for this guy?
Then you look at Crow-Armstrong. This dude is a whiz kid, and he’s putting it all together. Beyond the bat, his baserunning is absolutely stellar, and his center field defense? It’s straight up the best in the game. We always talk about how to value defense in baseball, and that question has never been more critical than it is this season. How do you stack an Ohtani “down year” with injuries against a guy who’s playing incredible two-way baseball, offense and gold-glove defense?
The Experts Have Spoken: Defense Wins the Day
The numbers from DraftKings tell you everything you need to know: Pete Crow-Armstrong is sitting at -205 odds, while Ohtani is at +165. And it’s not just the oddsmakers. Your CBS Sports experts have put their hypothetical votes in, and it’s a clean sweep for PCA. Every single expert picked Crow-Armstrong, which is wild considering Ohtani’s legacy.
Mike Axisa said it perfectly: he’d go with PCA today, giving him a slight offensive edge because of that elite baserunning. Axisa questions if Ohtani’s 14 excellent pitching starts can truly outweigh PCA’s 1,100 innings of “arguably the best defense at any position in the sport.” He’s not wrong. Kate Feldman echoed that, saying she doesn’t need fancy metrics to see Crow-Armstrong’s impact. He gets every ball hit his way, and even some that aren’t. She asks you to imagine the Cubs without PCA, and you instantly get it. This isn’t “just” an above-average defender; this is a game-changer.
So, we’ve got about five weeks left in the season before the final votes are cast. Ohtani is coming back to the mound, and PCA is trying to cement a historic season. This is truly a two-man race, with guys like Corbin Carroll or James Wood barely an afterthought for third place. What happens when Ohtani pitches down the stretch? Will it sway anyone? Or has PCA already sealed the deal with his bat, wheels, and glove?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply